339 S Ashley, January 1977
My part of the story of this house's last thirty years will be told here, as best I can.
This is partly in response to the Ann Arbor Observer article which made my
finances, and particularly my tax history, public in a somewhat confused manner,
and partly because Destiny-98 uses these "facts" to denigrate my ability to handle
my finances, repeatedly asserting (in e-mails and conversations with myself and my
attorney, Scott Munzel) that this somehow justifies their taking and retaining my
home.
The impression about myself the Observer article left in the community is pretty
well captured in this quote about Bear-Stearns' recent self destruction. Quoting the
New York Times, 03-15-08, "F.D.R.’s Safety Net Gets a Big Stretch" :
<<Mr. Schwartz, Bear’s chief, says his firm remains solvent. But such assurances
are seldom credited during panics. As Walter Bagehot, the British financial
journalist, wrote in “Lombard Street,” a 19th-century book on the monetary system,
“Every banker knows that if he has to prove that he is worthy of credit, however
good may be his arguments, in fact his credit is gone>>
Much of the willingness of people to help financially has disappeared. I can't blame
people for that...it was only natural.
It bears (deliberate) saying here that Bear-Stearns was involved in the tax lien
business. One of their (perhaps former) Senior Managing Directors, John Garzone,
is on the Board of Directors of the National Tax Lien Association, of which Douglas
Q Gale is the Treasurer.
This is partly in response to the Ann Arbor Observer article which made my
finances, and particularly my tax history, public in a somewhat confused manner,
and partly because Destiny-98 uses these "facts" to denigrate my ability to handle
my finances, repeatedly asserting (in e-mails and conversations with myself and my
attorney, Scott Munzel) that this somehow justifies their taking and retaining my
home.
The impression about myself the Observer article left in the community is pretty
well captured in this quote about Bear-Stearns' recent self destruction. Quoting the
New York Times, 03-15-08, "F.D.R.’s Safety Net Gets a Big Stretch" :
<<Mr. Schwartz, Bear’s chief, says his firm remains solvent. But such assurances
are seldom credited during panics. As Walter Bagehot, the British financial
journalist, wrote in “Lombard Street,” a 19th-century book on the monetary system,
“Every banker knows that if he has to prove that he is worthy of credit, however
good may be his arguments, in fact his credit is gone>>
Much of the willingness of people to help financially has disappeared. I can't blame
people for that...it was only natural.
It bears (deliberate) saying here that Bear-Stearns was involved in the tax lien
business. One of their (perhaps former) Senior Managing Directors, John Garzone,
is on the Board of Directors of the National Tax Lien Association, of which Douglas
Q Gale is the Treasurer.
Synopsis:
In 1976 I was operating a small building/remodeling company and took on
the job of converting a large house behind what was then the downtown
Elk's Club into apartments with office suites on the first floor.
The house had been used as a rooming house and the conversion was a
major project involving a complete redesign of the interior layout to
incorporate kitchens and bathrooms for the projected apartments.
The night before the framing inspection for the second and third (attic)
floors was scheduled, the steam boiler in the basement ran dry, overheated
and started a fire. It ran up through the building, going almost out of control
when it reached the open framing of the second and third floors...
Literally overnight, we went from working on a job reasonably large for our
resources, to one easily four, five times bigger. With perfect hindsight, I
now know I should not have taken on the task of re-building the house. I
grossly underestimated the cost, the consequent debacle leading to the
cascade of bills, lawsuits and payroll tax debts that I have had to struggle to
bring under control for decades.
It became a game of financial whack-a-mole, never successful mostly for my
own lack of experience or the advice of a mentor. Eventually, it poisoned all
my finances, while I held on, waiting until the Federal tax liens tolled.
All of the financial complexities of my life, the most visible being my various
tax problems focused on in the Observer article, can all be traced back to
this fire...
In 1976 I was operating a small building/remodeling company and took on
the job of converting a large house behind what was then the downtown
Elk's Club into apartments with office suites on the first floor.
The house had been used as a rooming house and the conversion was a
major project involving a complete redesign of the interior layout to
incorporate kitchens and bathrooms for the projected apartments.
The night before the framing inspection for the second and third (attic)
floors was scheduled, the steam boiler in the basement ran dry, overheated
and started a fire. It ran up through the building, going almost out of control
when it reached the open framing of the second and third floors...
Literally overnight, we went from working on a job reasonably large for our
resources, to one easily four, five times bigger. With perfect hindsight, I
now know I should not have taken on the task of re-building the house. I
grossly underestimated the cost, the consequent debacle leading to the
cascade of bills, lawsuits and payroll tax debts that I have had to struggle to
bring under control for decades.
It became a game of financial whack-a-mole, never successful mostly for my
own lack of experience or the advice of a mentor. Eventually, it poisoned all
my finances, while I held on, waiting until the Federal tax liens tolled.
All of the financial complexities of my life, the most visible being my various
tax problems focused on in the Observer article, can all be traced back to
this fire...
Link to location of 339 S Ashley and it's
present location using Google Earth
(you must be on line and have Google Earth
installed. Look in the Temporary Places
folder of the Places window after the file and
program has opened.)
present location using Google Earth
(you must be on line and have Google Earth
installed. Look in the Temporary Places
folder of the Places window after the file and
program has opened.)
Photos and more history:
(in process)
(click photos to enlarge)
(in process)
(click photos to enlarge)
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Before the fire:
Very few pictures remain of the
building before the fire:
Very few pictures remain of the
building before the fire:
The first floor S.W. room below
which the fire started.
ABC on the phone, Sadie, the dog,
being patient...
which the fire started.
ABC on the phone, Sadie, the dog,
being patient...
The following pictures are
in the same rooms, not
always the same point of
view...before and after the
fire.
in the same rooms, not
always the same point of
view...before and after the
fire.
South East apartment...
Through the roof.
Through the roof.
North East apartment...
West apartment that ran across the
front width of the house...
front width of the house...
And then we re-built...
Next page...
Next page...
Looking down from the loft into the
SE corner of the West apartment...
SE corner of the West apartment...
Here is 339 S Ashley,
moved across the street to
become 201 W Williams,
part of Avalon Housing's
stock.
moved across the street to
become 201 W Williams,
part of Avalon Housing's
stock.
